


Happy Chance

by ingenious_spark



Series: Saint Seiya prompts & short fic [184]
Category: Saint Seiya
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pokemon Fusion, Awkward Flirting, First Dates, First Meetings, Long Live Feedback Comment Project, M/M, Meet-Cute, small cameos by: isaac ikki and io
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2020-02-10 13:13:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18661135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ingenious_spark/pseuds/ingenious_spark
Summary: Sometimes it pays off to come in to work on your day off. Taking a shift at the Pokémon Gym for his brother, Isaac, Hyôga has a fateful encounter.And a date with a cute guy.





	Happy Chance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GalaxyMuse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalaxyMuse/gifts).



> For Linka, who's had a rough week. I hope this makes you smile.

His PokéGear rings. Hyôga muffles a groan and grabs for it blindly. He manages to his the right button to accept the call instead of declining it, miraculously, and his eyes catch on the time in the corner, numbers blurring together.

Six thirty AM. Arceus have mercy. The cheerfully bouncing Pidgey image resolves into his brother's face, looking sheepish and peaky under a shag of green hair. Hyôga groans. Isaac looks mildly insulted, and Hyôga puts his face back down on his pillows so he won't have to look at Isaac.

"I need you to cover my shift at the Gym." He says without preamble, and Hyôga makes a muffled, tortured noise into his pillow. Isaac _tsk_ s. "Don't be such a drama queen." He recommends, and Hyôga drags himself into sitting up, running a hand through the wild tangle of his hair before covering a yawn.

"Why, what's happened?" He asks, before realizing that Isaac really doesn't look very good.

"I've been throwing up half the night," Isaac groans, and Hyôga feels his mouth take a shape that's soft and sympathetic.

"D'you need some medicine?" He offers, thinking. The Gym doesn't open 'til eight, so he has time to run to the corner store and then over to Isaac's house. He needs to go to the corner store anyway, to be honest, he doesn't have any leftovers he can use for a lunch.

"It'd be nice," Isaac mumbles, pushing a hand through his hair.

"All right. Rest up, Isaac, I'll be over in a while." He says, and hangs up without any further ado. It's not the first time he's covered for Isaac since they both took over the Pokémon Gym from their father, Camus, after he was invited to become a member of their region's Elite Four. It won't be the last, either, but in Isaac's defense, Hyôga's made him cover for his shifts, too. They work pretty well as a team, all things told, which is probably why Camus felt so comfortable leaving things to them.

Hyôga hauls himself up out of bed, earning a disgruntled chirp from the round form of Lace, curled up at the foot of his bed. The Glaceon, one of a pair of Eevee cubs that Camus had given to him and Isaac as boys, looks grouchy, and he gives her a quick skritch on the ears, which makes her purr.

"Gotta get to work, pretty girl," he says around another yawn, getting dressed quickly. Stretchy, comfortable black jeans, soft socks, and a loose, breezy, ice-blue tank top finish his look, and he steps into the bathroom to finish up his morning routine, washing his hands and face after using the toilet, brushing his teeth, and brushing out his hair. Usually he leaves it loose, but it's weirdly kinked today from sleep, so he throws it all up into a high ponytail. He makes himself a thermos of coffee before slipping out the back door, collecting his belt and Pokéballs from the table just inside the door. His Lapras, Frost, is already awake, swimming around her pool lazily. He whistles softly, and she looks up, paddling close with a happy, honking cry.

"Hey, beautiful. Time to go." He says, soft and affectionate, giving her nose a rub before putting her into her ball. His Beartic, Hoar, stands up and lumbers close, patting Hyôga on the head, and he grins up at him. "Gotta get to work, he says, and pulls Hoar into his ball as well. He clips both into place on his belt and heads inside to round up the rest of his team- Lace, once evicted from Hyôga's bed; Rime, his Snorunt, who had been drifting about in the kitchen, and Fern, his Swinub, who'd been sound asleep in his little bed still. He laces up his boots and grabs both thermos and bag, before heading out.

It's a moment's work to head into the corner store, Lace trotting at his heels, and grab medicine, ginger ale, and sports drinks for Isaac, and lunch for himself, smiling at the cute, green-haired man who was also up and shopping, before hauling ass to Isaac's place. Hyôga lets himself in with the spare key- Isaac has Hyôga's spare key, too, in case they get locked out of their houses.

"Isaac, I brought you stuff! Want it in the kitchen or in with you?" He calls softly. Splash, Isaac's Vaporeon, bounds out of his bedroom and busies himself enthusiastically greeting Lace. After a moment, he head into the bedroom, and looks over Isaac, curled up in bed with the curtains drawn. "You look like shit, Isaac." He comments, and unloads his shopping bag on Isaac's bedside table, making sure the wastebasket has a liner in it, just in case. Isaac moans in miserable agreement. "Try to hydrate. I'll close early and come by when I'm done, okay?"

"No, I don't want you to get sick too." Isaac grumbles. Hyôga rolls his eyes.

"Tough luck. Just means you might be covering for me in a while." He informs Isaac, patting him gingerly on the shoulder. He goes and rummages through Isaac's kitchen, turning up a tube of saltines, and brings them in. "Saltines, if you can stomach them," he announces, putting them with the rest of his haul. "I'm out. Call me if you need anything else, okay?" After getting a mumbled agreement, putting out food for his brother's Pokémon, washing his hands, and hauling Lace away from Splash with promises of later playdates, Hyôga's finally on his way.

The Gym is quiet when it's early, which makes sense. Not a lot of kids and teenagers like waking up early, and that's the majority of people who challenge Pokémon Gyms. It's nice, and it affords Hyôga a moment to stow his lunch in the break room fridge and actually drink his coffee.

Then it's down to work.

* * *

 His PokéGear rings. Shun looks down to see who it is, and smiles when he sees the bouncing Pidgey holding his brother's name in its beak. He hits accept, and Ikki's face resolves on his screen, mildly grumpy looking as usual.

"Good morning, Ikki!" He greets brightly. His brother is already wearing his Pokémon Ranger uniform, so chances are he's at work already.

"Morning," Ikki says with a faint, private smile. "I was hoping you'd be up already." He mentions, scruffing a hand through his thick blue-black hair. Shun smiles at him, raising the cup of surprisingly good coffee he'd picked up with breakfast at the corner store.

"You know I like mornings." He comments lightly. Ikki rolls his eyes.

"Only after you grew out of the teenage phase of sleeping in 'til noon," he mutters, and Shun rolls his eyes.

"That's healthy for teenagers," he says with an air of faux haughtiness. Ikki makes a soft grumbling sound. Shun smiles brightly. "Anyway, was there a reason for the call? Or are you just checking in?" He asks, and Ikki shrugs. Ikki is a little overprotective, but he's nowhere near as bad as he used to be when they were younger.

"Mostly just checking in. There's a new girl on the team I'm supposed to train," he says, looking his version of awkward. Shun is well-versed in Ikki's micro-expressions, and also his way of asking for help without actually asking- a leftover of trauma that he's still trying to work through.

"Well, just remember to keep your temper. Give her chances to prove she knows things, but also don't expect her to be able to read your mind, or your body language. Use your words." He's very sure that Ikki's heard all of the same stuff from his therapist, but sometimes he needs to hear it again. Shun doesn't mind, not with all the progress Ikki's made since they were young. Sure enough, the set of Ikki's shoulders eases, and his frown becomes a bit less intense.

"Right. So, what are you up to today?" He asks, and Shun's happy to talk cheerfully about his plans for the day- heading to the Pokémon Gym to give it a run before it gets too crowded. Then maybe investigating the local cafés for a decent lunch spot. It's a decently sized little city, and there's a lot he wants to try to do here. He's planning on staying at least a couple of days. He smiles slyly as he starts to wrap up. "Also there was a really cute blond in the corner store this morning. Maybe I'll try and find him again, for a date," he teases Ikki, who looks mildly thunderous. Someone calls his name in the background, and he glances over his shoulder.

"Just be careful." Ikki mutters grouchily, and they make their goodbyes. Shun hangs up, glancing down at his Sylveon and Alolan-form Vulpix sitting patiently beside his bicycle.

"You two ready? I heard they had an ice and water typed Gym here. You might not be doing much, Madeleine!" Shun laughs softly, reaching down to ruffle the little Vulpix's soft white ears. She chirps in contentment. Macaron bounces, the Sylveon clearly ready for action. Shun idly double checks his belt- Tapioca, his Togetic, definitely won't be competing here, with his flying typing. He doesn't want to throw out Tiramisu, his Mienshao right off the bat, though, he wants to have to work for his victory- not that he thinks the Gym will be a pushover, but best to keep him in reserve. That leaves Macaron and Cannoli, his Dedenne, up front. Not too bad, especially given how rowdy Macaron can be.

"Let's go find the Gym!" He says warmly, sliding his PokéGear into the backpack in his bicycle basket. He misses the time in which Macaron and Madeleine were small enough to ride in it, but they run easily beside him as he pedals slowly down the street, looking for the ubiquitous Gym sign.

It's easy to find, as they usually are, and he parks and locks his bike at the rack out front, grabbing his backpack. Keeping Madeleine and Macaron close, he pushes the door open. It's a lovely, open space, made chilly by the maze of carefully tended canals and pathways inside.

"Hi! Are you here to check us out or register for a challenge?" The greeter is a young man about Shun's age, black-haired and bubbly.

"I'd like to register for a challenge." Shun responds, smiling brightly. The young man bobs his head.

"Right this way! Please return your Pokémon to their balls so we can run them through the registration machine!" He says, and Shun obeys, filling out his challenge form, and retrieving his Pokéballs from the scanner when the receptionist is done. "Okay, you're all set! Looks like everyone is healthy and ready to compete. Have a bottle of water on us!" The receptionist tosses Shun a bottle of water, a courtesy he appreciates, and then presses a button on the desk. A soft chime echoes through the space, and soon enough, trainers have taken their positions in the maze.

Shun grins sharply. This is gonna be fun.

* * *

 Hyôga watches the fights as the trainer progresses through the maze, and slowly realizes it's the same man from the corner store earlier. He's skilled, from what Hyôga can see of his battles from his position. Finally they come face to face, and Hyôga smiles at the green-haired man.

"Good job getting this far," he congratulates. "I'm the Gym Leader, Hyôga. You ready to rumble?" He asks considerately, hand falling to his first ball- Fern will be a good starter, probably.

"I'm Shun!" The challenger announces, smiling brightly. He's distractingly pretty, it's distressing. He also does seem to also recognize him from the corner store earlier this morning. "I hope you had a good morning!" He chirps, and Hyôga feels slightly slapped in the face with how _cute_ this man is. Shit.

"Right! Let's get going, then!" Hyôga manages to recover.

"Go, Cannoli!"

"Let's get started, Fern!"

The two Pokéballs fly through the air and click open as they release their Pokémon at the same time. Hyôga watches as a small, fuzzy Dedenne lands on the floor, smiling at the adorable name. Fern actually dwarfs the tiny Pokémon, despite Swinub generally not being very big. The Dedenne looks back at Shun with a nervous chitter, and his opponent offers a kind smile and nod.

"You can do this. _We_ can do this." He says confidently. The Pokémon perks with a happy little nod and readies for battle.

"Fern, Mud Bomb!" Hyôga smiles a little at the gentle encouragement. He likes seeing such strong companionship in people and Pokémon.

"Dodge and use Play Rough!"

Fern quickly burrows into the frigid dirt of the battlefield. A massive clot of wet dirt flies into the air straight for Cannoli. The Dedenne watches the attack for a split second before scurrying out of the way. As Fern returns from the hole, a burst of pink light surrounds the tiny Pokémon and collides with the thick fur of the Swinub. Fern staggers before shaking off both the attack and attacker. Cannoli flies through the air before landing with a sharp squeak.

"Mud Bomb, again!" Hyôga calls quickly, Fern moving in time with his shout. This time the little Dedenne doesn't dodge fast enough, and looks dazed for a moment.

"Volt Switch, quickly, Cannoli!" Shun calls, looking worried. Volt Switch does nothing to Fern, being a ground type, but it serves its purpose, which is to get the Dedenne out of there before it faints. "Go! Macaron!" A Sylveon appears from Shun's replacement Pokéball, and it bounces into action, clearly raring to go. "Quick, Moonblast!"

"Dodge it, Fern!" Hyôga shouts. However Fern takes the brunt of the blast, not fast enough on his feet in comparison to the Sylveon. The Swinub stumbles but snorts defiantly. "Hang in there! Go, Earthquake!"

The floor shakes as Fern's small hooves pound against it. However Macaron vaults into the air.

"Moonblast again!" Shun directs, and the attack connects, and Fern slumps in defeat. Hyôga quickly calls his Swinub back.

"Not bad, but we're just getting started. Go, Hoar!" The Beartic roars in defiance, and Hyôga settles in for a fun and interesting match.

Shun wins, by virtue of whipping out a Mienshao as he'd been up against the wire- Hyôga had been pretty surprised, the rest of Shun's team had been fairy typed, so he'd really not expected a pure fighting type.

"Congratulations! You've earned yourself the Polar Badge!" Hyôga says, taking the little pin from a pouch on his belt and presenting it to Shun. Shun takes it with a wide smile, pinning it to his denim vest with the other five he's clearly already collected. "Not bad," Hyôga says admiringly. "Two more and you'll be ready for the League, if you're pushing that far."

"I'll do it, just you watch me!" Shun looks suddenly very fierce. Hyôga's eyebrow shoots up- seems like he's touched on a nerve.

"I believe you! You definitely kicked my ass." He says warmly, and Shun blushes, looking slightly mareepish.

"I'm sorry. I'm too used to people says I have no place in competition. Everyone always used to tell me I was too soft-hearted for it." Shun says quietly. "This is me, trying to prove them wrong." He tugs lightly at his vest, with his six badges. Hyôga smiles, and steps forward to gently clasp his shoulder.

"I think this is you succeeding." He says seriously. Shun blushes, and smiles very brightly, and Hyôga lets go, blushing as well. He clears his throat a little awkwardly, glancing at his PokéGear to see if he has any other challengers lined up. He doesn't, so he glances back up a little shyly. "So, um, how long were you planning to stay in town?" He asks lightly, trying not to get too hopeful. He's at work, can he even ask someone out? Is that unprofessional?

"Oh, maybe three or four days? There's a lot to see in this city, and it all looks pretty interesting. Got any favorite places?" Shun asks, and Hyôga's brain briefly goes blank.

"I mean- I really like the interactive science museum? And there's a couple of good arcades. The planetarium's cool." He says awkwardly. Shun dimples at him and he nearly forgets his own name. "S-some good restaurants too, and cafés, if you want recommendations," he blurts out, instead of asking him out. Hyôga really wants to ask Shun out, holy Miltank. He's so sweet and so badass, and Hyôga really wants to get to know him.

"I'll take those recommendations," Shun agrees brightly. Hyôga lists off a couple restaurants and their vague locations, while Shun writes them down in his note app on his PokéGear. Hyôga takes the chance to check his own PokéGear, just in case there's another challenger. Looks like it's going to be a slow day, though.

"Um, I could. I could take you to one of the cafés. For lunch. If you want." He says, jittery and nervous. "Only if you want! And not until twelve, that's our lunch hour." He says awkwardly. Shun's smile blooms like a sunrise.

"I'd like that," he says warmly. "I should probably go, though. Gotta get to the Pokémon Center and heal everyone up." Hyôga nods.

"Um, if you want, we can meet out in front of the Gym at twelve." He offers, and Shun nods.

"I'll see you then!" He says cheerfully, and practically skips away. His backpack is only slung onto one shoulder, and Hyôga sees that there's several patches sewn on the back of his vest- a cartoon-style Sylveon, a 'fairy pride' patch, and one for the Pokémon Rangers, oddly enough. That's all he sees before Shun rounds the corner. One of the Gym trainers peeks around the corner with a sly grin.

"Somebody's got a _da-a-ate,_ " he singsongs, and Hyôga shoots him an annoyed look.

"Shut _up_ , Io." He grumbles. Io looks deeply smug, and has his PokéGear out. He's probably texting Isaac. Ugh, like his private life isn't enough of a mess.

"Is it a date, though?" He asks after a second. Io looks up, smiling faintly.

"I think so. You could ask him, when he shows up though. Good thing you're wearing something that looks good on you and is coordinated today." He comments, but then the soft chime echoes through the building. "Oops. Let's get back to work!" Io says, scampering off. Hyôga grins after him fondly, ignoring the jibe at his fashion sense. Leg warmers in winter are necessary, no matter what anyone says. Most of the trainers in their Gym are predominantly Isaac's friends, but they are also fond of him.

Lunch can't seem to come soon enough. Hyôga feels vaguely like he's vibrating out of his skin in anticipation, the closer the clock ticks to twelve.

Unfortunately, this challenger is taking his sweet time. Hyôga can't blame him, he's about eleven, but it's still really hard to stay upbeat and positive for the kid, when he gets to Hyôga at eleven fifty-five.

The kid puts up an admirable fight, but half of his team is grass type, and he doesn't quite make it. Hyôga spends a precious couple of minutes giving the kid a pep talk, and by the time he walks him to the door, you'd never have guessed that the kid had lost. It's a little after twelve, and as he waves off the kid with a reminder to train up and he'd be ready next time, he sees Shun at the bike rack, smiling quietly at him. He flushes, and jogs over, even as Io puts out the 'out for lunch, back at one' sign.

"Hey, sorry I'm out a little late! Ready to go?" He asks hopefully. Shun nods.

"Don't worry about it! You're good with kids, aren't you?" He asks lightly. Hyôga flushes.

"I mean, I try to be! It's part of my job, after all." He says, rubbing the back of his head, embarrassed. Shun's smile brightens just a little. "So, shall we? I was promised an escort after all." Shun says, and Hyôga nods.

"Of course! It's this way- walking distance, if you want to leave your bike here." He offers. Shun considers it, and nods.

"Okay, sounds good." He says, and Hyôga sticks his hands in his pockets, heading in the direction of his favorite lunch spot.

"Oh, phở!" Shun says with a bright smile when they arrive. "I've heard this is really good!"

"Yeah, I like it. My family's always pestering me to eat more healthily, so I found a healthy option I liked." Hyôga says thoughtlessly, and blushes again.

"That's good," Shun nods, looking serious, and not teasing at all. "It _is_ easier to eat healthy if you like what you're eating. That's just logical!" Hyôga smiles, confidence bolstered, and they step inside.

The soup is hot and fragrant- and in Hyôga's case, loaded with beef, because that's the way he likes it. Shun gets a lighter soup with chicken, and they somehow manage to stumble into a nice, easy conversation about training techniques.

"So how'd you get into training, anyway? You said after our fight that it was to prove people wrong, right? What made you decide Pokémon training was the way to go there?" Hyôga asks curiously. Shun thought for a moment, before shrugging a little.

"I think… it was the aspect of responsibility that drew me to training, instead of, say, martial arts. I like… being needed. Feeling useful, I guess." Shun blushes a little. Hyôga smiles encouragingly. "I wanted to be the one someone relied on, instead of needing to rely on others, I think."

"There's worse reasons to become a trainer. Is anyone else you know into it?" He asks. Shun shrugs a little.

"I've only got my brother, Ikki. We were kind of passed along foster houses until Ikki was able to get a job and apply for guardianship of me. He never had time, I guess, though we were in state funded housing, so we didn't have to pay rent. But he got a job with the Pokémon Rangers, when he finally got old enough and I convinced him to apply. He's a lot happier now, I think." Shun flushes a little. "Sorry, you didn't need to hear the whole sob story." He murmurs. Hyôga shakes his head a little.

"Sometimes it's easier to talk to someone you barely know about these things." He points out. Shun nods.

"That's true, but it's hardly first date material." He objects. Hyôga flushes. So it is a date! Io had been right after all.

"I guess so. Tell me about your team, then. You've got cute names for all of them." He says, shifting to an easier topic.

The hour passes by too quickly, it feels like, and Hyôga sighs softly when he checks the time and sees he has to go. Shun smiles wistfully.

"Time to leave?" He asks lightly, and Hyôga nods.

"Nose back to the grindstone. Isaac better get well soon, this was supposed to be my day off." Hyôga stand and stretches, missing the way Shun's eyes linger.

"Well, even if you weren't supposed to work, I'm glad you did, because I got to meet you." Shun bounces to his feet and presses a quick kiss to Hyôga's cheek. Hyôga squeaks, and Shun giggles. "Here, give me your PokéGear, I'll give you my number. That way we can see each other again. Maybe you can show me around some more." He says hopefully. Hyôga smiles.

"I'd like that." He says warmly, and they exchange numbers, heading back to the Gym with a spring in their steps.

"Sometimes long-distance things are worth it," Shun murmurs as he picks up his bike, Hyôga heading inside.

"I agree," he says cheekily, not quite sure if Shun had meant him to hear that or not. Shun rolls his eyes lightly.

"Text me!" He says, and wheels away. Hyôga smiles, strangely besotted for only one date, and heads inside. He's looking forward to this.

**Author's Note:**

> Outtake:
> 
> Hyôga (goes back inside): it was a date!  
> Io (very smug): I told you so! But do you listen to Io? No!
> 
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